LAUSD's Clear Creek camp may close due to budget cuts

Every year, thousands of students from elementary school to high school get to spend a week camping in nature as part of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center camp.

The camp was established in 1925 on a rugged hillside in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada-Flintridge.

Students learn about bugs, hike, study rocks and more. But this may be the last year for the nearly 90-year-old program due to budget cuts.

"We are being considered as one of the possible budget cuts in our district," said Gerardo Salazar of the LAUSD. "Seeing as we have been around for 90 years, we are the oldest outdoor education center in the country. We have a great legacy here and we would love to continue it."

School district officials say it cost about $1.5 million a year to fund the program. They say the program, which serves about 12,000 students per year, runs about 48 weeks.

School district officials say they will accept donations from the public to help keep the program running.